DIG IT 2: Digital Storytelling Meets the World of Work Erasmus Project

Project Title

DIG IT 2: Digital Storytelling Meets the World of Work

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

DIG IT 2 is continuing the work of the previous project, DIG IT, in promoting ownership of shared values, equality and non- discrimination through innovative and integrated approaches. DIG IT covered a variety of topics which link to labor market issues, youth unemployment, early school leaving, entrepreneurial learning and implementing digital tools and social media into education. DIG IT specifically targeted students and it continued the “Repérer-Réparer-Raccrocher” (RRR) Project (2013-2015) which aimed to prevent dropout. DIG IT 2 follows the same steps with additional activities such as teacher training and elements of career guidance and entrepreneurship education integrated in the project activities.

Students, educational and student services staff from Finland, Greece, Germany Italy, Spain, Portugal and Romania will work together in 5 workshops and 2 transnational meetings. The number of stakeholders who are affected by the execution and outcomes of the project are significantly larger than in previous project. The number of partner organizations has grown and more units inside organizations are taking part in the project. Together approximately 100 students and 40 staff members will be participating in the project workshops. Participating students are of all ages and diverse cultural-socio-economic backgrounds; this diversity underlines that lifelong learning is a way of thinking, praising learning in all ages. Students will visit enterprises with a specific theme and create a digital story of the experience. Each country will introduce an inspiring keynote speaker with entrepreneurship/ start up theme.

The key element is the method of Digital Storytelling which is used as a way to reflect, document and share the workplace visits students execute during the transnational events. In DIG IT 2 the work place visits concentrate on the element of entrepreneurship. Visits will be executed in small innovative enterprises, where one-to-one encounters between the entrepreneurs and the students will happen. The topics raised during DIG IT will be further enhanced in DIG IT 2: How to provide skills for employability, how to bring the learning experience closer to the reality of the working environment, how to enhance students and educators entrepreneurial skills and labor market knowledge (Riga 2015).

DIG IT 2 will add new elements such as team coaching, entrepreneurship training and career guid-ance in the project activities. Team coaching professionals will help the participants see learning in a new way and teachers will be trained in the fundamentals of team coaching. Team coaching will be brought into project activities. Team coaching relies in the key factor that work acts as a way to include all the team members in the activities and in learning. Team coaching principals value all individuals and recognize their diverse contributions to the work. Team coaching enhances many skills: the ability to communicate, listen and share, to work cooperatively and work together towards a common goal. Team coaching promotes democratic values, fundamental rights, intercul-tural understanding and active citizenship.

DIG IT 2 promotes and flourishes the entrepreneurial spirit, which we think is something everybody has inside them. It’s a way of thinking. This sprit encourages participants find new ways to their own career. Entrepreneurship coach will be actively involved in the project. Career counseling professionals from participating countries will be sharing their best practices in the project workshops. Multi professional team will form a way to collaborate, share expertise in coaching.

Special attention is given to the development of social, civic and intercultural competences, online safety, digital well-being in order to tackle discrimination, bullying (including cyberbullying), fake news and other forms of online misinformation. In the core of the team learning are “dialog training sessions”, discussions in dialog circles, which follow these four team coaching principals: 1. Listen 2. Respect 3. Wait for your turn 4. Be sincere when you talk.

The results can be seen in changes in individuals; in the way they work, collaborate in everyday life and also being able to work in an international environment. The process of empowerment in individuals, includes encouraging and developing the skills for self-sufficiency, independent decision making and the way students approach learning. Partnership between educators, students and the labor market will strengthen. Teachers will learn how to integrate new technologies in their work. Teachers will gain theoretical and concrete knowledge of new innovative pedagogical approaches such as team coaching and entrepreneur-ship education. These new approaches will advance learners’ critical thinking skills and prepare learners for twenty-first century competencies and skills.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 192212 Eur

Project Coordinator

Pohjois-Karjalan koulutuskuntayhtymä, Riveria & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas de Mangualde
• CENTRO DE EDUCACIÓN DE PERSONAS ADULTAS DE PARACUELLOS DE JARAMA
• ISTITUTO D’ISTRUZIONE SECONDARIA SUPERIORE M.PAGANO
• Liceul Tehnologic de Electronica si Telecomunicatii “Gheorghe Marzescu” Iasi
• 5th Vocational evening School of Thessaloniki
• John-F.-Kennedy Schule